Collection trails

Anatomy — separate printed design from postal markings.

Type Atlas — identify the dimension your type label describes.

Contrast Bench — test a near-neighbor.

Materials & Making — follow the production chain.

Perforated Type — inspect separation as evidence.

Design Lab — make a fictional layout choice and explain it.

Observe — list visible clues without assigning identity.

Sources — inspect what each source actually supports.

Compare — explain which property makes two similar objects diverge.

Keep a used stamp attached to its cover when the mailed context is the evidence you care about.

Read the markings as later additions rather than design elements.

Run the postmark counterexample to reinforce the distinction.